A Light and His Shadow
by Chiisaiuki
Summary: A fanfic... It's AoKuro. Aomine and Kuroko from Teiko to the present. I'm not really sure what is going to happen, so I rated it T just in case for later chapters. My first fanfic, so please go easy on me here... I'm open to constructive criticism, but not straight out flames. Comment if you want to. I might continue it at some point, if I get up the courage to do any more. Enjoy.
1. Chapter 1

Kuroko Tetsuya threw the ball for the millionth time. As per usual, it missed the basket completely. He sighed, but refused to quit. He'd never get better if he quit every time he missed. He picked up another ball, and tossed it again at the basket. The ball bounced off the rim, and rolled across the floor after a few noisy collisions with the hardwood. He picked up a third ball from the selection scattered around the gymnasium. Kuroko heard the door open behind him as he straightened up. He turned his wide blue eyes on the tall figure in the doorway. When the figure didn't seem to notice him, Kuroko turned back to the basket to continue his shooting practice. The ball hit the rim again, this time flying back and nearly hitting the visitor in the face.

"Whoa!" The guest exclaimed, jumping out of the way and covering his head. Kuroko approached him slowly, offering a hand.

"Pardon me... Who are you?" Kuroko asked quietly.

Aomine Daiki looked back at him, startled, as if he'd only just noticed the blunette's presence.

"Ah, Aomine-kun." Kuroko said. He helped the larger boy to his feet. Aomine towered over Kuroko. Indigo eyes stared down at him.

"Who are you?" Aomine asked, a little rudely.

"Kuroko Tetsuya." The tiny blue boy replied.

"What are you doing in the gymnasium so late?" Aomine asked. Kuroko glanced down at the large orange basketball in his arms.

"I'm practicing." Kuroko replied. "I stay late often. I want to get into the first string."

"Huh... So you've been staying overtime every day to try and get promoted." Aomine grinned. "Wow. There aren't many guys who go that far, even in the first string." He held out a fist to the smaller boy. "Alright, I've decided!"

"Eh?"

"I'll practice here with you every day from now on." Aomine stated, not even giving Kuroko a chance to refuse. "And then one day, let's stand on the same court together!"

Kuroko smiled and bumped fists with Aomine, sealing their deal. And every day, they met up in the gym after school. They would practice for hours on end. They played one-on-one sometimes, but, of course, Aomine always won.

"Come on, Tetsu!" Aomine laughed. "You can do better than that! I know you can!" He dropped into a defensive position. "One more try! We can go for ice-cream after that." Kuroko couldn't say no to the promise of ice-cream. He ran at Aomine, dribbling the ball. Aomine stole it easily. "Aw, lame."

He grinned and ruffled up Kuroko's hair. Kuroko just looked up at him with a small smile. Kuroko started putting the balls back into their proper bins. He wheeled them into the storage room with Aomine's help. They hurried to the locker room to change out of their sweaty clothes. After they'd collected their bags and locked up the gym, Kuroko turned to leave.

"Wait, Tetsu..." Aomine said suddenly. Something in his voice sounded a little out of the ordinary. Kuroko turned back to face his friend. He had to lean his head back to look up at Aomine's face. Aomine looked unusually reserved. Kuroko tilted his head slightly to the side.

"What is it, Aomine-kun?" He asked.

"I... Um..." Aomine mumbled. He could feel Kuroko's huge eyes boring into his soul. Aomine averted his gaze. He felt his face heat up. "Never mind."

The two of them started walking in silence. Aomine was thankful for the crisp evening air, which was cooling his flushed face. He'd never confessed to anyone before, much less a guy, and he was incredibly nervous. He'd had no idea how hard it was, how it would make his heart squeeze and his stomach flutter. He made a quick mental note to try to be more gentle when rejecting girls. At that moment, he seriously admired their courage.

Kuroko could sense Aomine's jittery lack of composure. He glanced up at Aomine from time to time, a little worried about his friend's abnormal behaviour. Kuroko's eyes lit up when he saw the ice-cream shop. He grabbed Aomine's arm and pulled him faster.

The heat in Aomine's cheeks returned when Kuroko wrapped himself around his arm. He was ridiculously warm. The two entered the store and chose their ice-cream. Aomine paid for both. He steeled his nerves as they left the store, taking a deep breath.

"Hey, Tetsu, let's go sit over there." He suggested nervously, pointing to a bench outside an empty basketball court.

Kuroko agreed, and they sat. Kuroko happily licked at his ice-cream until Aomine finally spoke.

"Tetsu..." Aomine started hesitantly.

"Yes?"

Those unnerving eyes once again peered into his soul. Aomine turned his eyes elsewhere. "So... I, um... Have something I want to say." Kuroko nodeed. It wasn't hard to notice that much. "I-I..." Aomine stuttered. "I like you, Tetsu."

"I like you too, Aomine-kun. You're my best friend." Kuroko replied.

"Um... No... Not like that..." Aomine blushed. "I LIKE like you..."

"Oh." Kuroko said quietly. He seemed to be thinking for a long moment, before looking back up with a smile. "I like you too."

"Really?!" Aomine exclaimed. He felt like Kuroko was just toying with him. His heart beat so hard he thought it would explode. Kuroko nodded. Aomine felt a small hand curl around his own. His heart danced a little bit. The two friends sat there holding hands in silence for a while.

"Ah, Aomine-kun, you should probably go now." Kuroko said. "You have a curfew, right?"

"Shit, that's right!" Aomine bolted to his feet. "I'll see you at school tomorrow, Tetsu!" He spun on his heel and sprinted in the opposite direction. Kuroko let a rare chuckle escape his lips as he watched Aomine leave.


	2. Chapter 2

"Tetsu!" Aomine called when he saw his kind-of-maybe-boyfriend the following morning. Kuroko was sitting in the outdoor basketball court. But he was curled up on the ground, and his shoulders were shaking. Aomine slowed, crouching next to Kuroko. He leaned down to look up at Kuroko's face. Glimmering tears like diamonds fell down the small boy's cheeks.

"Tetsu, what's wrong?" Aomine asked. He wiped some of the tears off his boyfriend's face. He gently put his hands on Kuroko's tiny shoulders.

Kuroko turned his face away. He didn't want Aomine to see him crying. He wiped his face. "Aomine-kun... Please leave..." Kuroko pleaded. Aomine's hands left his shoulders, and he looked up at Aomine. Aomine looked incredibly hurt. "I'll see you after school. I promise."

Aomine nodded, and stood. He slowly walked away, thoughts swirling in his head. _Did I do something wrong? Why is Tetsu crying? What happened? Why won't he let me stay with him?_ He continued onward to school, as much as he wanted to stay and comfort Kuroko. He hesitated at the corner, but forced himself to leave.

He was distracted all day during school. Not that he ever really payed attention, but he was more distracted than usual. Satsuki Momoi, his childhood friend, slammed her hand down on his desk during break. He jumped, looking up at her.

"Okay, what's going on?" She asked. "You're paying even less attention than you usually do!"

Aomine stared into the girl's bright pink eyes. He glanced down at her chest, then back at her face.

"Your top button is undone." He said. She hurriedly tried to button it back up. Aomine took that chance to escape. He heard her call after him, but he continued to flee. He ducked into the janitorial closet to avoid her. "Sorry, Satsuki..." He muttered.

"Dai-chan!" She called. "Where did you go?" Through a small hole in the door, he could see Momoi looking around for him in confusion. She looked pretty concerned. "Make sure you go to third period!" She called before turning on her heel and stalking away in annoyance. Aomine watched her silky pink hair disappear around the corner before crawling out of the closet.

Aomine didn't want to go to third period. He instead went up to the roof for a nap. He reclined on the warm tiles in the warm sun. He did manage to close his eyes for a little while, but he was woken by Momoi's scolding at lunch.

"Dai-chan!" She said angrily, like a mom. "I told you to come to third! What is up with you today?"

"Nothing. Leave me alone, Satsuki." Aomine rolled over and closed his eyes again.

"Dai-chan!" She exclaimed. "Don't make me tell Akashi-kun that you're skipping classes!"

"He probably already knows. It's been more than two minutes since I left." Aomine said. "I'm in for hell at practise anyway. Might as well enjoy my remaining lifespan."

Momoi pouted next to him for a while, but eventually gave up and went away to eat her lunch. Or at least, that's what Aomine thought. However, she returned a few minutes later with lunch for both of them, and she sat in front of him.

"You are going to class when that bell rings." She insisted. "Even if I have to drag you there myself. Hurry up and eat." Aomine groaned, but sat up. He picked up the bento Momoi had made for him. It was awful, like anything she cooked always was. He grumbled a bit about the horrible food, but he ate all of it anyways.

The remainder of the school day dragged on for a small eternity. Aomine spent most of it snoozing or thinking of Kuroko. Finally though, the bell rang to dismiss them from class. Aomine was out of the room in less than thirty seconds. He practically flew to the gym to meet Kuroko. He paused in the doorway when he saw Kuroko there, shooting hoops like always. Something seemed a little off. Kuroko's shoulders were a little slumped, and his heart didn't seem to be in it.

Aomine hesitantly entered the gym, grinning and raising his hand in a wave. "Tetsu! What's up?"

Blue orbs glanced at Aomine, and darkened for a split second. "Oh, Aomine-kun..." Kuroko said, trying to sound normal and failing. "Hello..."

The large boy looked down at his boyfriend with concerned eyes. "What's wrong, Tetsu?"

Kuroko hesitated for a long while before he answered. "I'm thinking of quitting basketball."

"What?! Why?!" Aomine exclaimed loudly.

"I've been trying my best, but I'm not getting any better. I'll never get the chance to play in a game. Even if I did, what use would I be?" Kuroko asked, not expecting an answer.

"No, Tetsu, you are getting better!" Aomine insisted. "I can tell! And someone who practices as much as you do could never be completely useless!" Aomine held Kuroko's hands softly. "I won't say you'll definitely make it if you keep trying, but if you quit now you definitely won't make it! All of your effort would be for nothing."

"The coach... Told me to quit. He said I had no chance to ever play in a game." Kuroko admitted. "He told me that this morning..."

"Is that why you were crying?" Aomine asked. Kuroko nodded slightly. Aomine's hands balled into fists. "I'm going to beat the crap out of him."

Kuroko held Aomine's arm tightly. "Don't. He's right. I should just quit."

Aomine was about to protest, but was interrupted by the sound of the door opening. The boys from the first string entered. The shortest one had red hair. The tallest had purple. The other had green hair. Kuroko could tell right away that they were regulars. They had a sort of aura around them, much like Aomine.

The small one with the red hair spoke. "Aomine."

Aomine turned to face his teammates.

"I thought I hadn't seen you around, but it seems you were here." The red one said.

"Yeah. There's too many people in the other gym." Aomine replied.

"I don't mind, but..." Red eyes shifted to look at Kuroko. "Who's he?"

Aomine smiled. "I practice with him all the time."

"Huh~? I don't remember anyone like that~." The purple one said. He sounded incredibly bored, like he didn't actually care and just felt like talking.

"He's not from the first string." Aomine said.

"... I see." The purple giant murmured monotonously. He turned to the red one, who was quite a bit smaller than him. "Let's go already~."

The red one didn't move. "I'm a little interested. I've never seen anyone like him before."

The green one turned his bespectacled eyes on the red one in surprise, but didn't speak. Aomine cast a glance at Kuroko. Kuroko's face was blank, as it always was.

"Would you guys mind leaving? I'd like to speak with him." The red one said. It wasn't a question. It was an order. The two who'd come in with him left in a heartbeat. Aomine hesitated for a moment, silently asking Kuroko if he'd like him to stay. The red one looked at him coldly. "Aomine."

Aomine fled from the room with an apologetic look at his boyfriend. Aomine closed the door quietly. He sat on the floor outside the gym to wait. He ached to know what Akashi was saying to Kuroko. Unfortunately, he couldn't hear the conversation. He glanced up and realized Midorima had decided to linger as well. Apparently, Midorima could hear them quite well.

"Oi, what are they saying?" Aomine asked. Midorima shushed him and continued listening. After a few moments, Midorima looked back down on Aomine.

"You should leave." He said. "They'll be a while."

"What? No way am I leaving!" Aomine exclaimed. Midorima shushed him again.

"You won't help anyone by staying." Midorima told him. They stared at each other for a long time.

Eventually, Aomine got up and left as he was told.


	3. Chapter 3

"Aomine-kun." Kuroko appeared suddenly next to Aomine. Aomine practically jumped out of his own skin. Kuroko cracked a small smile.

"Hey, Tetsu." Aomine replied casually, as though he hadn't been startled at all. He looked down at Kuroko's smiling face. He almost seemed to be glowing. Aomine was relieved that Kuroko seemed to be in a much better mood than the day before.

"I'm going to continu playing basketball." Kuroko said. He was really happy. He couldn't keep the grin off of his usually-blank face. "Akashi-kun said I have a hidden talent. He said I can be a good player if I can find it."

"That's great, Tetsu!" Aomine said. He was happy too. He'd been so worried after he left Kuroko the day before. He was worried that he wouldn't be able to play with Kuroko anymore. Without thinking, he swept down and hugged Kuroko tightly. Kuroko started to protest, then stopped. Aomine felt Kuroko's tiny little arms wrap around his waist. He released Kuroko after a long moment. Though it was quite a long time, it felt short to the two of them. Before Aomine could straighten back up to his full height, Kuroko gave him a peck on the nose. Aomine's cheeks turned red, but he smiled. He messed up the little blunette's hair.

"You little rascal, Tetsu!" Aomine laughed. "You almost broke our promise, you know. We can't stand on the court together if you quit."

"You're right. I'm sorry." Kuroko said. Aomine grabbed his hand cheerfully.

The two of them held hands most of the way to school. They only let go once they started seeing some of the other students. They stepped a little further apart too, so they weren't walking so close together. Still, they talked a lot. And that translates roughly to "Aomine talked a lot, and Kuroko occasionally nodded." Kuroko's face had returned to its usual blank-slate by the time they'd gotten to school, but his eyes were still smiling for him.

They parted ways at the front door, since they were in different classes. Kuroko wandered slowly to his classroom, not really wanting to go. He sat in the back, like he always did. He gazed out the window, watching the students file in through the front door. He saw Akashi getting out of a limousine. He was joined by the purple giant and the green boy from the night before. Kuroko assumed they were all in the same class. The bell rang not long later, beginning classes. Kuroko watched the late-comers dashing through the doors. He barely listened to his teacher's droning lecture. Kuroko could feel himself drifting off.

_I'll only close my eyes for a moment._ He thought, his eyelids fluttering closed. The next thing he knew, the lunch bell was ringing. He jerked upright in his seat. There was a small amount of drool on his desk. He'd slept through all of his morning classes. _Oops._

Kuroko pulled his lunch out of his bag, and decided to look for Aomine. He remembered Aomine mentioning a girl he hung out with a lot, his childhood friend. Aomine had said that she didn't know about Kuroko. He wondered if Aomine didn't want her to know for a specific reason. He might not be welcome to eat lunch with his boyfriend if she was there.

Kuroko pushed those thoughts out of his head and went to Aomine's classroom anyways. He wasn't there. If he wasn't in the classroom, it was rather likely he was on the roof instead. Aomine liked lying in the sun. Kuroko was right this time. Kuroko cracked open the door to the roof, spotting Aomine and a girl eating lunch together. Kuroko sat down next to Aomine. It took a while before either of them noticed him, and he was beginning to get restless. When the girl spotted him, her pink eyes widened and she choked a little bit on her food. Aomine jumped a little bit, but he'd been caught off-guard more than a few times. He tried his best not to react the same way he had that morning. A huge grin spread across his face.

"Tetsu!" He exclaimed happily. "What are you doing up here?"

Kuroko held up his bento. "I wanted to eat lunch with you." He replied. He glanced at the girl, noting her large breasts. He recalled the magazines that Aomine always seemed to carry. Kuroko was immediately jealous. Aomine caught the subtle scowl on Kuroko's face. Aomine messed up Kuroko's hair jokingly again.

"Tetsu, this is Momoi Satsuki, my childhood friend I was telling you about." Aomine said. "Satsuki, this is Tetsu."

"It's nice to meet you, Momoi-san." Kuroko said with a small bow.

"Yes!" Momoi quickly bowed as well. "It's nice to meet you!"

There was a long silence before Momoi turned to Aomine. "So, uh, how do you two know each other?"

"Tetsu and I play basketball together after school."

"Eh?! He plays basketball? He can't be in the first string!" Momoi said.

"No, he's not." Aomine replied.

Momoi shot a look at Kuroko. "Which string are you in?"

"Third." Kuroko replied. He didn't like how intensely she was looking at him.

"Third?!" She exclaimed. Aomine never practiced with anyone weaker than him. Why did he choose someone so weak to work with? "What rank are you?"

Kuroko was silent for a long moment. "I'm in the bottom five."

"Satsuki, stop harassing him!" Aomine snapped protectively.

"Aomine-kun, you shouldn't snap at Momoi-san. She's your friend, right?" Kuroko said. He was definitely worried that Aomine liked Momoi. Snapping at her didn't lower Kuroko's suspicions, because Aomine always snapped at people. It was just his personality. They've known each other forever, and Momoi was far more Aomine's type than Kuroko was. She was quite pretty for one, and for two, she had a huge chest.

Momoi stood up suddenly. "The bell will be ringing soon. I'm going to head to class now." She smiled falsely. "Dai-chan, make sure you come to class, okay?" She hurried back into the school. The door slammed with a loud bang.

"What is she talking about?" Aomine muttered. "We still have twenty minutes left."

He glanced down at Kuroko. His expression showed how he was actually feeling, now that Momoi had left. He was frowning, making a small wrinkle appear between his eyebrows. Aomine flicked his forehead.

"That hurt." Kuroko said, finally looking up at Aomine.

"Stupid. Don't be jealous of Satsuki." Aomine said. "I could never like Satsuki as more than a friend. She's too much like my mom. You have nothing to worry about." Aomine wrapped his arm around Kuroko's shoulders. He put his face close to Kuroko's ear. "It's you that I like, alright?"

Kuroko nodded slightly. He leaned against Aomine's side, wrapping his arms around the bigger boy's waist. Aomine moved suddenly, reaching for something.

"Are you going to eat this?" Aomine asked, picking up Kuroko's bento. Kuroko laughed quietly. It was just like Aomine to say something like that.

"Go ahead and take it." Kuroko replied.


	4. Chapter 4

The bell rang, shattering Kuroko's daydreams. Kuroko was only disappointed for a moment before he realized that the bell meant it was time for practice. He could see Aomine soon. He put his papers away as quickly as he could without fumbling and dropping them everywhere. He hooked his bag over his shoulder and skipped out of the classroom.

Kuroko practiced harder than usual that day with the other third string members. By the end of it, he was ready to pass out, but he was elated all the same. It wasn't long before regular practice would end, and Aomine would come to play with him. He helped the others clean up, then waited by the door for Aomine while everyone else left.

It only took Aomine five minutes to get there, but to Kuroko, it felt like an eternity. He was fidgeting and shaking a lot by the time Aomine got there, excited to start playing.

"Sorry I took so long, Tetsu!" Aomine said. He was breathing faster than usual. He'd obviously ran from the other gym. "Akashi wanted to talk to me for a while."

"You took a long time." Kuroko said.

"We'll get ice-cream after this. I'll pay, to make up for it, okay?" Aomine said. Kuroko perked up.

"Really?" Kuroko grinned. "I can't wait!"

The two of them played for almost four hours. They chatted and laughed a lot, Kuroko included. When it was just the two of them like this, Kuroko felt that he could open up and show what he was feeling. He could complain, or laugh at Aomine's jokes, or say embarrassingly fluffy things. After they'd finished cleaning up and changing, they were off to the ice-cream store.

Specially for the occasion, Kuroko picked a particular expensive brand of ice-cream. Aomine scowled at his choice.

"You said you'd pay." Kuroko said. Aomine gave him a light punch on the shoulder, cracking a smile, and payed for their ice-cream.

The two of them emerged into the chilly evening air. Eating ice-cream on such a cold evening just made them colder, but they didn't mind. They just walked closer together and held each other's hands. They walked toward the basketball court where Aomine had first confessed to Kuroko. It had already been a few months since then, but it felt like just yesterday.

"So, do you have any idea about what kind of talent Akashi was talking about?" Aomine asked.

Kuroko shook his head. "Not yet. I'm still thinking."

"Do you think Akashi is actually mocking you?" Aomine asked, laughing.

"Don't joke about that, it's not funny." Kuroko frowned. "...What is Akashi-kun like?"

"Huh? Ah, he's a good guy. He has a good head, and sees everything around him. I can't complain about him as a point guard."

"Point guard... Then it must be wrong for me to aim for point guard... It's not the best way for me to be useful to Akashi-kun." Kuroko looked down, worrying.

Aomine glanced at the smaller boy. "Tetsu, you want to be a point guard?"

"Akashi-kun told me he thought I could be useful to the team. I can't shoot, so the only thing I can do is assist or pass."

"Typical of Akashi." Aomine scoffed. "I might have a good idea."

Kuroko looked up hopefully. "What do you mean?"

"Something like an awesome curving pass!" Aomine said, and Kuroko scowled.

"Physically impossible." Kuroko replied. As they were walking, a bookstore caught Kuroko's eye. He stopped walking. "Ah, sorry. There's a novel I want."

"Oh..." Aomine said, a little disappointed. "Okay then, I guess I'll see you tomorrow."

Aomine continued on, and Kuroko turned into the bookstore. Aomine wondered what book Kuroko had wanted. He kept heading for their original destination. His hand felt cold without Kuroko's heat.

He stopped when he got to the basketball court. It was really dark, and it was cold out, but this place felt warm. He sat on the bench just outside of the court, thinking. His jokes earlier hadn't be appreciated by Kuroko. Kuroko really was too serious sometimes. Of course, Aomine was a little insensitive at times as well. It just wasn't the right time for joking around. Aomine smacked himself.

"Idiot. You shouldn't have taken it so lightly." Aomine muttered to himself. "Tetsu really is worried about this."

"You know, you shouldn't talk to yourself, Dai-chan." Momoi said, sitting down next to him.

"Oh, Satsuki. Why are you out so late?" Aomine asked.

"I was shopping with a friend. I'm on my way home now." She replied. "What about you? You look really worried about something. And you're sitting all alone in the cold."

"It's nothing."

"Dai-chan, don't lie to me. Something's up. It's not like you to get all depressed about anything!" Momoi insisted.

"Tetsu was really worried earlier, and I was joking around when I shouldn't have been, that's all. It must of upset him, because he just suddenly wanted to leave." Aomine told his childhood friend. She was annoying sometimes, when she nagged him about classes or other things, but she was good to talk to when Aomine was stressed out about something. She listened well, and usually had good advice.

"I don't really know Tetsu-kun very well, so I'm not sure how to help." Momoi said. "I'm sorry, Dai-chan. I'm not sure I can do anything this time."

"That's okay. I feel a little better just letting someone know. I'll figure something out." Aomine said. "Thanks for putting up with a jerk like me. And for listening to my constant complaining. And for acting like my mom." He received a smack for the last part, but they were both grinning like children.

"I'll always be here for you, Dai-chan. You're like a brother to me!" Momoi said.

"Thanks, Satsuki."

**Author's Note: Hi! I don't really know how to add an actual author's note, so I'm just going to do **

**it this way. I just wanted to say thank you to the people who actually read this!**

**I'm not a very good writer, so I really wanted to try and get better at it. I also**

**really like AoKuro, so this just kind of happened. I hope there are people who**

**actually like my stuff! You can send me reviews if you want! I'd really like to hear**

**what people have to say about my writing!**

**PS: I update at random times, so if I don't update for a while, then update two or three times in**

**the same day, it'll probably be normal for me. I usually have a lot of homework, and a bunch**

**of after-school stuff, so I might not be able to put up chapters often at all. Sorry! And thank**

**you guys for reading!**


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